Barry Ferguson has worked out Micky Beale’s summer transfer plans with the bright new future based on his mate Allan McGregor continuing in goals.
The 41-year-old is looking increasingly vulnerable with both of Kyogo Furuhashi’s goals at Hampden coming from inside the six yard box.
Estimates at the extent of the summer rebuild vary from pundit to pundit but it would seem that Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin will be key figures in midfield.
Serial losers James Tavernier and Connor Goldson have signed new contracts in the last 10 months but elsewhere it seems that everything is up for grabs.
Explaining how simple it all is, Ferguson tells Daily Record readers:
So with Greegsy in his 40s I understand why some fans want to move him on. But I can’t help but think that by doing so Beale will be giving himself a headache he really doesn’t need right now.
No. Sit him down and ask him if he’s ready to go again next season. If the answer’s yes pull a contract out of the drawer and get him to sign it on the spot.
I don’t know what budget Beale will be working with this summer but let’s say he’s got £10million to wheel and deal with. Why spend £2.5m or £3m of that on a keeper when there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to do the job as well as the one you’ve already got?
With a Steady Eddy like Jon McLaughlin providing cover, it would also give Beale a chance to send Robby McCrorie out on loan for six months – and the chance for the youngster to prove he’s a ready-made, long-term Rangers keeper.
I hear a lot of good things about McCrorie. There is a real excitement about how good he could be. But Beale can’t take a chance on him until he’s proved himself elsewhere, like McGregor had to do at a similar age. If McCrorie is as good as people believe him to be then he’ll be ready to take the gloves when he returns.
And Rangers might find themselves with a £5m first-choice keeper but without having to spend a penny on recruiting him from somewhere else. If money is going to be tight this summer then I’m sure Beale’s biggest priority will be in recruiting a new No.9. If he saves himself cash on a keeper he might be able to buy a striker worth £5m rather than one for £2.5m.
And then the more money he has to spend on that area of the team better because it’s clear the final third is where the biggest problems lie.
If £5m has been set aside to sign Malik Tillman on a permanent deal there won’t be much left over for elsewhere in the master plan. Young McCrorie will be 25 later this month and hasn’t played a competitive match in 18 months.
Beale has still got £11m of talent to call on with Antonio Colak, Rabbi Matondo and Ridvan Yilmaz barely used by Gary McAllister’s former training ground assistant.
No doubt Mrs Ferguson was the brains behind the financial wizardry from young Barry ! After all ,she was the monetary whizz whom Barry signed over ALL of his assets to to avoid paying pesky Hector his fair share of dues … Must be great to have such an accounting genius in the immediate family !
maybe it’s the only option open to motor mouth , and maybe barry une biatch is throwing the balls that the board made earlier !!
Would it not be just paying better players you can’t afford on never ,never money in a brown envelope and avoid declaring the wages?
It’s been done before quite shucksheshfully I gather.
Would it not be simpler to just attract players you can’t afford by borrowing money they don’t have and pay these players off the books in brown envelopes (that match the brogues) and not declare the wages?
It has been done erode after all at other Clubs and with often shucksheshful reshulsh.
That’s the problem ! They can’t borrow money as they are such a bad risk ! The only loan they could get is from the local Govan money lender …
pull a contract out the drawer is that the infamous drawer that the tax men discovered ?.
Oh dear wee Barry strikes again.
Joe, there’s a simpler solution – put Connor ‘The Cat’ Goldson in goal. He’s a brilliant shot stopper.